SparkNotes: A Tale of Two Cities: Analysis of Major Characters Analysis of Major Characters A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens Themes, Motifs & Symbols Sydney Carton Sydney Carton proves the most dynamic character in A Tale of Two Cities. He first appears as a lazy, alcoholic attorney who cannot muster even the smallest amount of interest in his own life. He describes his existence as a supreme waste of life and takes every opportunity to declare that he cares for nothing and no one. But the reader senses, even in the initial chapters of the novel, that Carton in fact feels something that he perhaps cannot articulate. In his conversation with the recently acquitted Charles Darnay, Carton’s comments about Lucie Manette, while bitter and sardonic, betray his interest in, and budding feelings for, the gentle girl. Eventually, Carton reaches a point where he can admit his feelings to Lucie herself. Before Lucie weds Darnay, Carton professes his love to her, though he still persists in seeing himself as essentially worthless. This scene marks a vital transition for Carton and lays the foundation for the supreme sacrifice that he makes at the novel’s end. Carton’s death has provided much material for scholars and critics of Dickens’s novel.

Some readers consider it the inevitable conclusion to a work obsessed with the themes of redemption and resurrection. According to this interpretation, Carton becomes a Christ-like figure, a selfless martyr whose death enables the happiness of his beloved and ensures his own immortality. Other readers, however, question the ultimate significance of Carton’s final act. They argue that since Carton initially places little value on his existence, the sacrifice of his life proves relatively easy. However, Dickens’s frequent use in his text of other resurrection imagery—his motifs of wine and blood, for example—suggests that he did intend for Carton’s death to be redemptive, whether or not it ultimately appears so to the reader. As Carton goes to the guillotine, the narrator tells us that he envisions a beautiful, idyllic Paris “rising from the abyss” and sees “the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out.” Just as the apocalyptic violence of the revolution precedes a new society’s birth, perhaps it is only in the sacrifice of his life that Carton can establish his life’s great worth.

Madame Defarge Possessing a remorseless bloodlust, Madame Defarge embodies the chaos of the French Revolution. The initial chapters of the novel find her sitting quietly and knitting in the wine shop. However, her apparent passivity belies her relentless thirst for vengeance. With her stitches, she secretly knits a register of the names of the revolution’s intended victims. As the revolution breaks into full force, Madame Defarge reveals her true viciousness. She turns on Lucie in particular, and, as violence sweeps Paris, she invades Lucie’s physical and psychological space. She effects this invasion first by committing the faces of Lucie and her family to memory, in order to add them to her mental “register” of those slated to die in the revolution. Later, she bursts into the young woman’s apartment in an attempt to catch Lucie mourning Darnay’s imminent execution. Dickens notes that Madame Defarge’s hatefulness does not reflect any inherent flaw, but rather results from the oppression and personal tragedy that she has suffered at the hands of the aristocracy, specifically the Evrémondes, to whom Darnay is related by blood, and Lucie by marriage.

However, the author refrains from justifying Madame Defarge’s policy of retributive justice. For just as the aristocracy’s oppression has made an oppressor of Madame Defarge herself, so will her oppression, in turn, make oppressors of her victims. Madame Defarge’s death by a bullet from her own gun—she dies in a scuffle with Miss Pross—symbolizes Dickens’s belief that the sort of vengeful attitude embodied by Madame Defarge ultimately proves a self-damning one. Doctor Manette Dickens uses Doctor Manette to illustrate one of the dominant motifs of the novel: the essential mystery that surrounds every human being. As Jarvis Lorry makes his way toward France to recover Manette, the narrator reflects that “every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” For much of the novel, the cause of Manette’s incarceration remains a mystery both to the other characters and to the reader. Even when the story concerning the evil Marquis Evrémonde comes to light, the conditions of Manette’s imprisonment remain hidden. Though the reader never learns exactly how Manette suffered, his relapses into trembling sessions of shoemaking evidence the depth of his misery.

Like Carton, Manette undergoes a drastic change over the course of the novel. He is transformed from an insensate prisoner who mindlessly cobbles shoes into a man of distinction. The contemporary reader tends to understand human individuals not as fixed entities but rather as impressionable and reactive beings, affected and influenced by their surroundings and by the people with whom they interact. In Dickens’s age, however, this notion was rather revolutionary. Manette’s transformation testifies to the tremendous impact of relationships and experience on life. The strength that he displays while dedicating himself to rescuing Darnay seems to confirm the lesson that Carton learns by the end of the novel—that not only does one’s treatment of others play an important role in others’ personal development, but also that the very worth of one’s life is determined by its impact on the lives of others. Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette Novelist E. M. Forster famously criticized Dickens’s characters as “flat,” lamenting that they seem to lack the depth and complexity that make literary characters realistic and believable. Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette certainly fit this description.

A man of honor, respect, and courage, Darnay conforms to the archetype of the hero but never exhibits the kind of inner struggle that Carton and Doctor Manette undergo. His opposition to the Marquis’ snobbish and cruel aristocratic values is admirable, but, ultimately, his virtue proves too uniform, and he fails to exert any compelling force on the imagination. Along similar lines, Lucie likely seems to modern readers as uninteresting and two-dimensional as Darnay. In every detail of her being, she embodies compassion, love, and virtue; the indelible image of her cradling her father’s head delicately on her breast encapsulates her role as the “golden thread” that holds her family together. She manifests her purity of devotion to Darnay in her unquestioning willingness to wait at a street corner for two hours each day, on the off chance that he will catch sight of her from his prison window.

In a letter to Dickens, a contemporary criticized such simplistic characterizations: The tenacity of your imagination, the vehe-mence and fixity with which you impress your thought into the detail you wish to grasp, limit your knowledge, arrest you in a single feature, prevent you from reaching all the parts of the soul, and from sounding its depths. While Darnay and Lucie may not act as windows into the gritty essence of humanity, in combination with other characters they contribute to a more detailed picture of human nature. First, they provide the light that counters the vengeful Madame Defarge’s darkness, revealing the moral aspects of the human soul so noticeably absent from Madame Defarge. Second, throughout the novel they manifest a virtuousness that Carton strives to attain and that inspires his very real and believable struggles to become a better person. A Comparative Study Of Sydney Carton In Dickens' Novel, A Tale Of Two - Term Papers / English A Comparative Study Of Sydney Carton In Dickens' Novel, A Tale Of Two This essay A Comparative Study Of Sydney Carton In Dickens' Novel, A Tale Of Two is available for you on Essays24.com!

Search Term Papers, College Essay Examples and Free Essays on Essays24.com - full papers database. Autor: anton • October 2, 2010 • 1,300 Words (6 Pages) • 1,022 Views Page 1 of 6 A comparative study of Sydney Carton in Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, and Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet in Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, requires the reader to analyze various aspects that the transforming effect love can have on a personality. As we study each character, it is relatively easy to see that no matter how painful love can be, it is usually to one's betterment to have experienced it. Love affects each person differently. Some become more introspective, searching to better themselves for the sake of themselves or another. Others do not recognize what they are lacking in their lives until they find love. In either event, it permanently redirects the course of one's life. Or causes one to end it in some cases. We see that all three characters learn to love themselves better, to love others anew and in the end, make the ultimate sacrifice for their love for another.

Point A: Both author's illustrate well, that a lack of love can have a profound effect on the behavior of a person. Whether a person has never experienced love by fortune or by design, the initial introduction of love into the personality can be intense. Dickens introduces Sydney Carton to us immediately after a trial, speaking to his client. It is at this point that we get a glimpse of the character of Carton, "...who smelled of port wine, and did not appear to be quite sober..." (Dickens, 100). Carton is so disillusioned with his own life, that he can't even like his client [who looks like him], "Do you particularly like the man?' He muttered, at his own image; 'why should you particularly like a man who resembles you? There is nothing in you to like..." (Dickens 103). Romeo Montague is no less desultory, but youth is his excuse, while alcohol and lifelong disappointment are Carton's. Shakespeare has Friar Lawrence state [about Romeo's multiple infatuations], "Young men's love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes" (1.3.67-68).

Having not experienced life yet, Romeo does not yet understand the nature of love. He still sees it as a physical reaction, rather than emotional, "For beauty, starved with her severity / cuts beauty off from all prosperity" (1.1.227-228). Juliet is so immature and unskilled in the ways of love, that she shares her youthful desperation with her nurse, "Go ask his name; if he is married / my grave is like to be my wedding bed" (1.5.137-138). She has no concept of what love is, how it feels or how to react to it. She is almost virginal in her understanding of love. Point B: As each character experiences love for the first time, they react similarly to their newfound feelings. We are able to see how love can make our senses expand to others and the world around us. Sydney Carton recognizes that his love is unrequited, yet it's impact on him is no less profound, "...I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality..." (Dickens 187).

Romeo is no less affected by love, if in a more juvenile way when he states, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand / this holy shrine / the gentle sin is this; / My lips, two blushing pilgrims / ready stand / To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss" (1.5.104-107). Romeo's transformation comes as he realizes that beauty is not just a physical attribute, but a deep, multi-faceted emotion. Juliet's feelings are awakened the night she meets Romeo at a masquerade ball. She has no experience with men and no basis for understanding, yet she is convinced that Romeo is her true love, "My ears have not drunk a hundred words / of thy tongue's uttering / yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo...?" (2.2.63-65). Juliet begins to have feelings of self-worth above the basics of her station. She begins to recognize that her love has a value to another. Therefore, her own self-image is increased. Point C: The overall parallels between these three characters can be unquestionably seen. The most pronounced is that love is life-altering.

Whether is awakens newfound self pride, broadens our emotional horizons, or deepens our introspection of self worth, it forever changes how we view ourselves and the world. Sydney Carton's transformation is the most complete. He is thoroughly changed from his introductory state of slovenly, cynical drunk, to a man willing to sacrifice his own life for the woman he loves and those that she loves, "...I would embrace any sacrifice for you ... The Dynamic Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities Tale Two Cities Essays Free Essays brought to you by 123HelpMe.com The Dynamic Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities The most dynamic character in Charles Dickens, 'A Tale of Two Cities,' appears as Sydney Carton. First, Carton presents himself as a drunk, lazy attorney, who feels as though his life has no meaning. However, Carton as well as others know deep down that his life does have true meaning. Carton professes his love to Lucie Manette. Inexplicably, Carton becomes a changed man; this important turning point molds the remainder of the novel. After he exits the den, he finds his independence. When Sydney Carton becomes enlightened, he transforms into a Christ-like figure.

He begins to shoulder his way through life. At the beginning of the novel, Sydney Carton presents himself as a drunken attorney. When Carton converses with Charles Darnay, Dickens presents Carton as a drunk, "Carton, who smelt of port wine, and did not appear to be quite sober" (89). Carton appears constantly drunk at the beginning of the novel. Also, Carton has no sense of self-worth. When Carton drinks at the Bar with Mr. Stryver, Stryver describes him as, "[Y]our way is, and always was, a lame way. You summon no energy and purpose" (95). Dickens, also describes Carton as, "Sydney Carton, idlest and most unpromising of men" (92). As most people believe, Carton feels that he himself has no purpose. He agrees with the way other people feel about him and takes no initiative. Proclaiming his love to Lucie Manette before her wedding, Carton has a turning point and becomes enlightened. Carton converses with Miss Manette, "O Miss Manette...

think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you" (156). Apparently, Carton becomes a changed man; he becomes a caring person who tries to help others. However, Carton always noticed Lucie Manette; when they were in the courtroom, Carton focuses on Miss Manette. Dickens describes the scene, "when Miss Manette's head dropped upon her father's breast, he was the first to see it." Carton constantly focuses on Lucie. He makes her the center of his attention. Finally, throughout the novel, Dickens perceives Carton as a Christ-like figure. Carton acts as a resurrection character in the novel. He has a rebirth after his enlightenment. Before Carton becomes the twenty-third victim of the guillotine, he recites a line from the Bible, "I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (366).

In this falling of Carton's life, he provides an image that claims he appears to be Christ on Earth. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Essay about A Comparative Study of Sydney Carton in Dickens Novel, a Tale of Two - 1298 Words A Tale of Two Cities Sydney Carton Essay ...A Tale of Two Cities: Sydney Carton In Charles Dickens' novel A Tale Of Two Cities, Sydney Carton is a man of several distinct characteristics. Carton is shown originally to be a frustrated alcoholic, but then turns out to be a very noble and genuine man. Sydney Carton is also shown in the... 516 Words | 2 Pages Dickens A Tale of Two Cities Essay ...﻿ A Tale of Two Cities Quotation system: All the references in question 1: a refer to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens edited by Wordsforth Editions 1999, whereas all the references in Question 1: b refer to British Narrative Prose 1700-1900 by Ebbe Klitgård. In this essay I will discuss the two following analytical points from Charles Dickens’, A Tale of...

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He describes himself as a complete waste of a life and takes every opportunity to declare that he cares for nothing; but one can sense from the initial chapters that... 297 Words | 1 Pages A Tale of Two Cities Sydney Carton vs. Charles Darnay Essay ...A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, takes place during the French Revolution. The book centers on the heroic attempts of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Sydney Carton puts on the façade of being insolent and indifferent, but his true nature is expressed in the book when he puts others first, defends Charles, and dies for the ones he loves. Charles Darnay is a once wealthy... 660 Words | 2 Pages A Tale of Two Cities (Literature) - TV Tropes A Tale of Two Cities You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Literature / A Tale of Two Cities × WMG It is a far, far better thing... A Tale of Two Cities is a novel written by Charles Dickens first published in 1859, dealing with the events of The French Revolution and their impact on the lives of a number of fictional characters living at the time.

The two cities of the title are London and Paris: Paris as a symbol of lawlessness , while London represents Order, albeit containing problems that could, in time, lead to a situation as bad as Paris. Lucie Manette, a young Frenchwoman living in England, receives news that her father, who has been lost for sixteen years and was presumed dead, is actually alive, albeit insane, and would she please come see him to see if her presence can help restore his sanity. She later marries Charles Darnay, who, unknown to her family, is the son of a deceased Marquis in France. When he receives a letter from France calling him to go save one of his former servants, France draws him in, and attempts to execute him. At the same time, Sydney Carton, a man who looks as if he were Darnay's twin separated at birth , tries to redeem his wasted life.

The novel has one of the most famous opening lines in literature: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other wayï¿½in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. The final scene includes a line that is almost as famous, (although context would be a spoiler): It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

Dickens' novel was largely inspired by his reading of Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution: A History, and took from it the sense of the Revolution as an elemental eruption of the human spirit when pushed too far. Thomas Carlyle's book was itself a highly romantic and melodramatic work rather than historical so the novel does suffer from Dated History to some extent despite being broadly accurate to the circumstances and events of the French Revolution. Unlike Carlyle, Dickens sympathized with the ends, though not the conduct, of the Revolution, and offers a glimpse of hope that after the extremists meet their end, France itself would rise a free and happy Republic, eventually . If you're looking for the story of Bob Trimbolie and Terry Clark, it's right over here. This book provides examples of: The Alcoholic : Sydney Carton to a T, and Mr. Stryver. While doing paperwork well into the night, Stryver becomes increasingly inebriated, while Sydney seems to become even more efficient. Anti-Hero : Syndey can't be bothered to care about anything, but he finds a cause by the end. Aristocrats Are Evil : Make no mistake, they definitely are.

Indeed Darnay is so guilty that he decides to Shed the Family Name but his family is way more evil than even he suspected and it nearly gets him killed as well. Asshole Victim : Darnay's uncle. Unsurprisingly, no one's upset when the pissed off Gaspard murders him. Most of the early victims of the Revolution are regarded as this, being corrupt nobility in the main. Madame Defarge who is utterly without pity and mercy and would gladly send a child to the Guillotine simply for being the granddaughter of her sister's rapist, and would send an elderly doctor there too simply to round out the numbers, is shot dead by Miss Pross when she threatens the Manettes. Ax-Crazy : At the beginning of the Revolution, the lower classes are described as going kill-crazy on the upper classes, massacring even those they'd already taken prisoner. This is most vividly depicted by a group who gather around a blade sharpener in preparation for another round of slaughter, all the while wearing women's clothing and having glued pubic hair beards to their faces. Babies Ever After Bang Bang BANG : Miss Pross gets permanently deafened when Madame Defarge's gun goes off during the struggle with her.

Beauty Equals Goodness : The Manettes and Darnays are all beautiful people of impeccable morals. However, the trope is inverted just before the final confrontation. Madame Defarge is said to be quite a handsome woman, while Miss Pross is wiry, unattractive and so peculiar-looking that it's hard to notice when she's been beaten up. Played with in the case of John Barsad, who is described as looking quite handsome but a bit shifty due to an aqualine nose. Turns out that he's really Miss Pross' long lost brother Solomon, who is a scoundrel of the highest order. Best Served Cold : Madame Defarge will silently knit and continue knitting as she watches the aristocrats run roughshod over the people, fully waiting for the day of reckoning when she will remorselessly and pitilessly unleash her vengeance upon them. Big Bad Slippage : Madame Defarge starts out as an ordinary woman with extremist views and eventually becomes a strong leader in the revolution. Big Fancy House : The Marquis owns a dazzling chateau, which turns out to make great firewood...

Bilingual Dialogue : Happens In-Universe when Madame Defarge barges into Lucie's house, intending to have her Revenge by Proxy , but is stopped by Miss Pross . The narrator tells us that both women spoke in their native language, but their facial expressions and body language makes their intentions perfectly clear to each other. Blue Blood : Spilt by the gallon. It is The French Revolution , after all. Brilliant, but Lazy : Subverted with Sydney Carton. He is quite skilled at his job and does it very diligently, but he allows Stryver to take all the credit for the cases they win. Not to mention, of course, that he is the only one able to save Charles Darnay and get the rest of the family out of France at the end of the book. He only pretends to be lazy, as in this exchange: Sydney: Business! Bless you, I have no business. Mr. Lorry: If you had, perhaps you would attend to it. Sydney: Lord love you, no! - I shouldn't. Bullet Holes and Revelations : During the struggle between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge over a gun, it goes off.

It takes a few lines to find out where the shot went. Butt Monkey : Sydney Carton, although he admittedly does this to himself. Buy Them Off : The Marquis tosses a coin to the father whose child his carriage runs over. He is really offended when that gold coin gets tossed back in to the carriage, rightly seeing it as an action of contempt. Chekhov's Gun : The Carton/Darnay resemblance, which Sydney uses to take the latter's place on the Guillotine. Also, Cruncher's graverobbing. It gets mentioned in one chapter, but doesn't become relevant until it turns out that Cruncher had tried to rob Cly's grave and found no corpse. Companion Cube : A somber example Played for Drama : The shoemaker's bench and tools are this for Doctor Manette. Manette refers to him as a friend and deplores its destruction. When Lorry and Miss Prost destroy the shoemakersï¿½s bench, they also treat him like something alive: On the night of the day on which he left the house, Mr. Lorry went into his room with a chopper, saw, chisel, and hammer, attended by Miss Pross carrying a light.

There, with closed doors, and in a mysterious and guilty manner, Mr. Lorry hacked the shoemaker's bench to pieces, while Miss Pross held the candle as if she were assisting at a murder — for which, indeed, in her grimness, she was no unsuitable figure. The burning of the body (previously reduced to pieces convenient for the purpose) was commenced without delay in the kitchen fire; and the tools, shoes, and leather, were buried in the garden. So wicked do destruction and secrecy appear to honest minds, that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross, while engaged in the commission of their deed and in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked, like accomplices in a horrible crime. Contrived Coincidence : Dickensian destiny at work: Dr. Manette's daughter marries the last heir of the Evremondes, who imprisoned him. His former serving boy Defarge marries the sister of the woman that the Evremondes raped and Manette treated. Dark and Troubled Past : Charles Darnay: Is actually a French aristocrat, Charles St. Evrémonde, whose family is infamous for its mistreatment of the poor.

He renounces his title and wealth, moves to England and attempts to live a new life. Sydney Carton: His mother died when he was young. He "followed his father to the grave," and otherwise never felt at home anywhere. He always did other people's work at university, and never took credit when it was due to him. The result is his alcoholism and self-deprecatory attitude. Dr. Manette: Is wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years by Darnay's father and uncle, causing him to write a manifesto that would later sentence his son-in-law to the Guillotine. Madame Defarge: It was her older sister who was raped and ultimately killed by Darnay's uncle. Her brother died defending her honor, and her father died of grief. Thus Defarge swore vengeance against all of the Evrémondes. Dead Guy Junior : Lucie and Charles' first son gets named for Sydney. Deadpan Snarker : Sydney Carton. Stryver: Sydney, I rather despair of making myself intelligible to you, because you are such an insensible dog. Sydney: And you are such a sensitive and poetical spirit.

Death by Irony : One of the nobles proclaimed that the starving peasants could just eat grass. The rebels make sure to stuff grass in his mouth as they drag him to his death. The Determinator : Madame Defarge will stop at nothing to have her vengeance, saying, "Ask the wind and the fire to stop, not me." The Mender of Roads meets an agent of the Revolution who is set to burn down the Evremondes' chateau and notes how implacable his expression is, even in sleep. He imagines he sees more of these types of men at work for the Republic. Disproportionate Restitution : A nobleman in a speeding carriage crushes a child and flips a coin onto the street for the grieving father. The Revolution quickly gives way to the Reign of Terror, where the most tenuous links to the aristocracy, the most minor of infractions or the slightest hint of disloyalty will earn you an appointment with the National Razor. Madame Defarge is the living embodiment of this trope and would gladly murder the entire family of Charles Darnay for what his uncle did to her family. Even the child.

The innocent seamstress girl who dies just before Sydney Carton on the Guillotine is the living embodiment of the victims of such rage and hatred. Droit du Seigneur : Cited by Dr. Manette in his Letter as to the crimes of the Evremondes towards Defarge's sister. Domestic Abuse : Cruncher's introduction reveals that he gets into violent rows with his wife, which is more or less played for comedy. It helps establish him as a dumb, working-class cockney. Dying Alone : Averted when Sydney Carton talks with a seamstress on the tumbrel, confides the truth, and encourages her in facing death. He succeeds. Similarly, see Stay with Me Until I Die . "I mind nothing while I hold your hand. I shall mind nothing when I let it go, if they are rapid." "They will be rapid. Fear not!" Entitled to Have You : Stryver first tries to offer himself to Lucie, believing that his position is more than enough for her; he is aghast when Mr. Lorry tries to talk him out of it. Even Evil Has Standards : Even the vicious revolutionary Ernest Defarge has his qualms about executing children.

Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" : The Mender of Roads is always referred to as such, until he takes a new job and is called the Wood Sawyer. It's not even clear that the two names refer to the same person until the narration mentions that the Wood Sawyer recently mended roads. Face Death with Dignity Faking the Dead : Cly faked his own death. Cruncher, graverobber that he is, is able to use this as blackmail against his partner. Famous Last Words : The narrator provides the Final Speech that Sydney would have given had he the opportunity. Final Speech : A hypothetical one is given for Sydney. Grave Robbing : Jerry Cruncher's side job. Gun Struggle : Miss Pross vs. Madame Defarge. The Hecate Sisters : Played with in the characters of Madame Defarge and the other knitting female revolutionaries. "Is that his child?" said Madame Defarge, stopping in her work for the first time, and pointing her knitting-needle at little Lucie as if it were the finger of Fate. Heroic B.S.O.D. : Miss Pross is an Actual Pacifist , who develops hysterical deafness after accidentally killing Madame Defarge.

In addition, Dr. Manette's mind collapses after his "lost" narrative from his imprisonment, in which he denounces the Evrémondes, resurfaces as the clinching testimony against his son-in-law, Darnay. Heroic Sacrifice : Sydney Carton takes Darnay's place in prison and is executed in his stead. He Who Fights Monsters : Madame Defarge. After her death, Vengeance wonders where she is, and Dickens mockingly suggests sending messengers after her. "It is questionable whether of their own will they will go far enough to find her !" Hoist by His Own Petard : Madame Defarge is shot by her own pistol. Many of the revolutionaries were eventually killed by their own guillotine, which is Truth in Television . Honor Before Reason : Darnay rushes back to France to aid a former servant in need. Without telling anyone. During the French Revolution. Silly Charles. Turns out that the servant he was trying to rescue wasn't in as tight a spot as Darnay believed, which makes it even worse. Both Madame Defarge's older brother and sister refuse to reveal their family name to Dr.

Manette so that they can retain some honor, despite the possibility that he could have alerted authorities about the crimes committed against them. I Am Spartacus : The members of La Rï¿½sistance all refer to each other as Jacques Number (their number). Identical Grandson : Darnay looks a whole lot like his uncle the Marquis. We find out much later that Darnay's father and uncle were identical twins. Identical Stranger : Carton and Darnay. I Have This Friend... : Played with when Mr. Lorry consults Dr. Manette about the case of a friendï¿½s mental shock. The case is not about Mr. Lorry, is about Dr. Manette himself, who has experienced a Heroic B.S.O.D. and in the verge of a Sanity Slippage that only has been avoided by the use of his Companion Cube . "Doctor Manette," said Mr. Lorry, touching him affectionately on the arm, "the case is the case of a particularly dear friend of mine.

Pray give your mind to it, and advise me well for his sake — and above all, for his daughter's — his daughter's, my dear Manette." "If I understand," said the Doctor, in a subdued tone, "some mental shock — ?" "Yes!" "Be explicit," said the Doctor. "Spare no detail." Improbable Hairstyle : Dickens remarks that the world champion at leap-frog would refuse to jump over Cruncher. Hair that spiky would present too much of a risk. I Want My Beloved to Be Happy : Carton's obsession with Lucie motivates him to take her husband's place at the guillotine. Kangaroo Court : Carton saves Darnay from one in London, but there are plenty more in Paris, and they're even less just. Though the first trial of Darnay actually frees him thanks to excellent character witnesses. The second trial though is a textbook example. Kick the Dog : Done by both the nobles and the revolting peasants. Knight in Shining Armor : Charles Darnay. He leaves the life of luxury for moral reasons, returns to an unstable country to save a former servant, and gets the girl. What a swell guy.

Knight Templar : The Defarges. Laser-Guided Karma : As critical as Dickens is of the excessive violence of the Revolution, he argues that the French nobility fully brought this on themselves, and that any society built on this injustice will eventually face drastic consequences such as the events of the book. Living Emotional Crutch : Lucie is this for her father for most of the novel. In the beginning, without her presence, Dr. Manette is reduced to his old, solitary prison habits of making shoes. Mama Bear : Miss Pross is very protective of Lucy. Meaningful Name : Stryver is ambitious and is said to always be shouldering his way through life. Missing Mom : Lucie Manette. Charles Darnay. More Expendable Than You : Carton's self-sacrifice at the end is probably the most famous example of this trope. Names to Run Away from Really Fast : The Vengeance. Nay-Theist : Cruncher doesn't really understand religion, and as such mocks it, but he believes in God enough that he's afraid of the consequences if his wife starts praying for his death.

Ninja Maid : Miss Pross is a pacifist, but she's large, strong, and headstrong enough to come to her employer's aid. Noble Fugitive : Though his exile is self-inflicted, Charles Darnay is, in fact, an aristocrat of a different name. Noble Male, Roguish Male : Darnay is Noble, Carton is slightly more roguish while Stryver is a total cad. Off with His Head! : The guillotine is a central part of the story, due to taking place during the French Revolution. Orphan's Ordeal : This is largely the plot of Book I: Recalled to Life, in which Lucie is reunited with her thought-to-be-dead father. Other orphans include Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton, to name just a few. Pinball Protagonist : Darnay. Politically Correct History : Credit to Mr. Dickens though, he didn't make the French Revolutionaries out to be as Ax-Crazy and unjustified as most of his contemporaries did. Though like most of his contemporaries, for all kinds of understandable reasons , don't give the Revolution any credit for its positive achievements either.

The Power of Love : Not literally power, but the book outright states that Miss Pross is able to overcome Defarge through the power of love. Psycho Supporter : The Vengeance - who has no other name than that. Rebel Relaxation : Try to find a scene where Sydney isn't leaning on a wall, a window, or some other piece of furniture, often while staring at the ceiling. Reign of Terror : One of literature's most famous depictions. Though it largely conflates the Terror with the earlier September Massacres. Revenge by Proxy : Madame Defarge towards Darnay's entire family. The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized : France is (in the typical British style) portrayed as being absolutely insane at the time period. Dickens actually takes a third option —neither side is justified, and there are good and bad people among the rich and the poor. However, he declares that the actions of the nobles led directly to the atrocities committed against them. Roaring Rampage of Revenge : The majority of the Revolutionaries, but particularly Madame Defarge against the Evremondes.

She is utterly obsessed with this goal, intending to destroy the entire family root and branch - even if one of them is an innocent little girl . Sins of Our Fathers : The Defarges want Revenge by Proxy for the crimes of Darnay's father and uncle. Stay with Me Until I Die : Sydney Carton promises to hold the hand of the innocent Seamstress until the end. He even talks with her during the entire ride to the guillotine, taking special care to distract her from it. "O you will let me hold your brave hand, stranger?" "Hush! Yes, my poor sister; to the last."

Question: In which Dickens novel does Sidney Carton appear
Answer: A Tale of Two Cities